


Beyond a Doubt

by ukulelefoot



Category: Holby City
Genre: F/F, Fluff, here have some soft wlw to numb the pain of canon, seaside fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-22
Updated: 2017-04-01
Packaged: 2018-10-09 07:49:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10407318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ukulelefoot/pseuds/ukulelefoot
Summary: Berena + Jason + the beach.  No mention of Elinor so you can make your own decision as to whether it is canon-compliant or not.  Set about 3 or 4 years in the future.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Biscay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Biscay/gifts).



> So Jason mentioned a trip to Dungeness back in the mists of time (19x05) and I squealed bc I spend at least one week a year on holiday on that bit of coast and it's like a second home to me. Anyway here's a fic that probably has too much detail about things that aren't relevant...

Serena has no idea how Bernie and Jason, two of the lankiest people on the planet, manage to fold themselves into the tiny train carriage, but somehow they do.  She squeezes in next to her nephew - Bernie and her strong constitution drew the short straw, so she’s travelling backwards.  Serena realises that this isn't such a bad arrangement after all when Bernie tangles their legs together and gazes at her.  So what if the scenery is interesting?  Bernie’s face is the best view in the world.

A couple of months ago, Jason requested a return trip to Dungeness.  Serena brushed him aside at first - busy schedules don’t tend to allow for weekends away.  And anyway, she wasn’t sure whether Bernie would appreciate travelling to the other side of the country with very little to do at the destination except ride trains and sit on the beach.  Jason, however, didn’t get that message and went straight to Bernie, who was as enthusiastic as she always is whenever Jason is interested in something.  When Serena mentioned in bed that night that she really didn’t have to go, Bernie tutted into Serena’s neck and called her a numpty before falling asleep.

So here they are, wrapped up warm on a very windy Saturday afternoon in late September, waiting for the little steam train to take them along the coast to Dungeness.  Jason’s grin is as big, if not bigger, than it is on Christmas morning and he’s practically vibrating with excitement.  Serena loves seeing him like this, like he’s fit to burst with happiness at any moment.  She turns back to Bernie, who is looking at her with a soft smile, and returns the expression.

Jason has evidently been researching a lot since they visited last and, along the journey, he points out the ruins of a Napoleonic fort and one of the characterful little huts on the desert (“It’s the only desert in Britain, Auntie Serena.  Not like the deserts Bernie has been to, though.”) that was owned by a film director, and gestures in the direction of the RSPB reserve they’re planning on visiting tomorrow.  As the train comes to a halt, he talks about the power station, going off on a little tangent about nuclear fission, and explains why there are two lighthouses.

Serena and Bernie are quite happy to let him bombard them with facts and he’s in the middle of reminding them how longshore drift works when Serena places a hand on his arm.

“Jason, would you like to breathe once in a while?”

He turns to her, eyebrows furrowed, looks between her and Bernie.

“If I had stopped breathing, I would have fainted.  You should know that, Auntie Serena, you’re a doctor.”  He rolls his eyes and shakes his head at Bernie, before focussing on showing their ticket to the inspector, who punches it with a little heart.

Once they’re out of the station, Serena takes Bernie’s arm and asks Jason what he’d like to do first.  He opts for climbing the old lighthouse and Serena grimaces as she remembers her achy legs last time.  Bernie must spot this because she squeezes Serena’s hand and turns to Jason.

“How about I come up the lighthouse with you, Jason?  We can wave down at her when we get to the top.”

Jason considers this for a moment before agreeing, telling Serena that she must sit on this bench here and not move.  He wanders off towards the lighthouse and Bernie follows, although not until after Serena’s caught her fingers, pulled her in for a quick kiss and says a quiet ‘thank you’.

Bernie is far from unfit, but even she has to pause halfway up the 169 big steps of the spiral staircase to let her thighs stop burning.  The view from the little window she’s stopped next to is beautiful - she can see all the way around the bay, can’t from this angle see Serena.  Jason turns to chivvy her on and so she pushes through to the top and up a steep stepladder to the balcony.  There’s a little doorway she and Jason have to fold up to get through and then they’re nearly knocked off their feet by the strength of the wind at this height.  Jason, of course, is totally unfazed, peeks over the edge of the balcony and yells ‘AUNTIE SERENAAAAA’ at the top of his lungs to get her attention.  The wind must carry the shout away before it reaches the ground because he turns to Bernie, still plastered to the wall.

“She’s not looking.”

Bernie digs out her phone and calls Serena.

“Everything ok?”

“Look up, Serena,” Bernie laughs.

“She’s waving!  Look, Bernie!”  Jason flaps his arms about, absolutely thrilled.

“I can’t see you, gorgeous,” Serena says.

Bernie hangs up and puts her phone safely back in her pocket.  She edges forwards, her hands catching the railing and gripping tight, and pops her head over the side.  Way down on the ground, she spots Serena lying flat on her back on the bench where they left her, looking up at them and waving.

“Bernie!”  Jason’s voice comes from around the corner.  She tears herself away from just staring at her partner and joins him on the other side, where he’s spotted a big cargo ship on the horizon.

Serena sees her disappear and her grin settles into a contented smile.  She closes her eyes, hears the train whistle as it leaves the station after its long stop, and waits for her family to return.

On the way back down, Jason and Bernie stop off on the various floors to have a look at the displays.  Well, Jason studies them while Bernie sort of skims.  They’re both drawn to the nautical maps and they briefly discuss the merchant navy.

They reach the bottom and Bernie buys Jason a fridge magnet from the little gift shop.  He starts up a conversation with the man behind the till - a local who can answer his more specific questions, and Bernie leaves him to it to go and wait outside with Serena.

She finds her still laid down on the bench, arms folded over her stomach and eyes closed.

“Very tiring, lying down, isn’t it?” Bernie says sarcastically.  Serena snaps one eye open and scrunches up her face, before reaching a hand out and pulling Bernie to sit so Serena can rest her head on her lap.  Bernie’s spare hand runs through her own hair in a vague attempt to make it look less windswept, then settles in Serena’s.

“Where’s Jason?”

“Grilling the man in the shop about sand banks or something,” Bernie laughs.  “Thought it best to come and check you didn’t miss me too much.”

She receives the anticipated whack on the arm and chuckles at Serena’s mock-offended face.

“Contrary to popular opinion, I do not pine for you when you leave me alone for half an hour.  I’m not a dog.”

“No.”  Bernie strokes her thumb across Serena’s hand in the brief silence between them.  “A whole hour, however…”

Serena sits up and swivels on her bum so her feet are now resting on the bench on the other side of Bernie’s thighs.  She snakes her arms around Bernie’s waist and gives her a quick peck on the lips.

“Every second I’m not with you, I’m pining, Bernie.  How sad is that?”

“Feeling’s mutual.”

Serena smiles.  It still makes Bernie’s heart flutter after all this time.

After another brief kiss, they snuggle up and wait for Jason to return.


	2. Chapter 2

Jason had finally reappeared and joined them on the bench for a moment, before he decided he was hungry.  They nipped into the café by the station to get drinks and snacks to get to the beach with them.

They’re two-thirds of the way along the wooden walkway down to the beach when Jason finishes relaying what he learnt from the man in the lighthouse.  If they’re honest, neither Serena nor Bernie have taken much of it in.  They’re too busy trying not to get blown away by the increasing winds.

They settle themselves down by the sea.  The tide is in and Jason’s forgotten his hunger in favour of scouring the beach in search of stones to skim so Bernie can teach him how to do it.

She’d said it’s probably a bit too choppy, but he insisted on trying anyway.  She’d begun to explain what shape stones he should collect, but he stopped her and told her he understands the physics of it.  She’d offered to help him look, but he said he could manage and anyway, Auntie Serena looked cold and she should keep her warm.  So he’s left them laughing as they huddle up on the pebbles - at least there’s some reprieve from the wind lying flat against the beach - and sip their steaming coffees.

“He’s certainly having fun,” Bernie comments as she watches Jason pick up a pebble, only to drop it, apparently deeming it unsuitable.

“Doesn’t stop talking when he gets his teeth into something, that boy,” Serena says wistfully, years of evidence making her smile.  She takes Bernie’s coffee and lodges it in the shingle along with her own.  “You having fun, too?”

“I nearly got blown off the top of a lighthouse, but I survived and now I’m lying on a beach with the woman I love, so I’d say that just about makes up for it.”  She flashes Serena a flirtatious smile.

“You charmer.”  Serena rolls over so she’s half-laying on Bernie and rewards her with a gentle kiss.  “It’s hardly the Costa del Sol, though, is it?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Bernie says simply as she strokes Serena’s cheek.

They kiss again (how does it never get boring?), then Serena mumbles something against Bernie’s mouth.  Bernie makes a questioning noise and Serena pulls back a little.

“I’m so glad our bed and breakfast doesn’t offer family rooms,” Serena smirks.

“Why’s that, then?” Bernie plays along.  Serena bends down to whisper in her ear, barely audible over the crash of the waves.

“I want to kiss every inch of you, you glorious creature.”

She presses a kiss to Bernie’s neck before she’s pulled back to Bernie’s lips and grins as she feels Bernie gently hum.

Bernie shivers and Serena knows that, despite being told repeatedly that she’s an excellent kisser, this is more to do with the temperature than her wandering tongue.  She reaches for Bernie’s coffee and shuffles off her so she can sit up and take a mouthful.

They cuddle and watch Jason as he makes his way back to them, the pockets of his coat sagging under the weight of the collection of stones he’s gathered.

“Come on, Bernie!”

After Bernie melodramatically groans into the upright (and Serena’s giggles are cut off by Bernie leaning down and pecking her lips), she skids down the beach to meet Jason at the sea.

Serena picks at her slice of cherry cake as she watches them contend with a sea that is definitely too rough for skimming stones, but which Jason is determined to conquer.  Bernie says something to him, but he just carries on, and she turns to Serena with a shrug.

Somehow, Jason times one just right and manages three skips.  He spins around and yells, “DID YOU SEE THAT, AUNTIE SERENA?”

“Yes, well done!” she shouts back.  Bernie clasps his arm and beams at him, and Serena’s chest contracts at the sight.

They soon run out of stones - Jason manages a double-skip, but nothing more - and return to sit with Serena for a while.  Jason finally eats his packet of crisps while Bernie eats the half slice of cake that Serena’s left her.

A glance at his watch tells Jason that they need to head back up to the station for their return train, so they gather up their things and climb up the shingle.  Bernie tells Serena to ‘wave to the waves!!’ and gets a magnificent eye roll in return.

* * *

 

Serena managed to book two rooms next to each other so Jason isn’t too far away, but he’s got his head stuck in a book about the railway and is oblivious to anything that doesn’t involve steam engines.  Bernie manages to get a ‘goodnight’ out of him, before they leave him to it and go to their own room.

Door closed, Bernie turns to Serena.

“I seem to recall you saying something about kissing earlier,” she says, her voice deep and playful.

Serena saunters over, head bowed, and wraps her arms around Bernie’s waist.  It’s 50/50 whether Serena will tease, or whether she’ll turn on the smoulder - it’s all in the eyes.  When she finally looks up, Bernie sees the desire.

“You are in for a treat.”

**Author's Note:**

> The railway is called the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway (please Google it and check it out bc the trains are so cute) and basically this fic is what my family and I get up to when we're down there, only with more gays.


End file.
